An Underground Romance
by may8elle
Summary: While on a run for Rogue, Gajeel finds that the object of his affections isn't as innocent as she makes herself out to be. No, instead, Lucy is strong willed and killer, with confidence to spare. She needs help. He's determined to make her more confident. Heavy drug themed, the full warning and disclosure is inside at the beginning of the first chapter.
1. Chapter 1

_**WARNING!**_

 _ **WARNING!**_

 ** _This story contains adult themes such as: criminal activity, drug usage, drug selling, sex, strong language and dragon slayers in heat (though not yet). If these things disturb you or make you feel uncomfortable, I will no longer be held accountable for your discomfort. Take heed of this warning, leave now if this isn't your slice of cake._**

 ** _WARNING!_**

 ** _WARNING!_**

 _Seriously, though. All jokes aside, while this fanfiction isn't going to be long, it is still going to have dark themes and general things that may make people feel highly uncomfortable. My intention isn't to force you to read this if you don't like it. Take the warning and close out of this story NOW if you think you'll feel triggered in any way by things in it._

* * *

 ** _Welcome to the Underground_**

"Bunny?"

The voice rocked Lucy to her core and forced her to turn around in the swivel chair faster than anticipated, shock plastered on her face. _No_. He wasn't supposed to be here. Nobody was supposed to know. Nobody that wasn't on her side was supposed to find out. This could ruin a lot that she'd spent a long ass time building.

"Gaj?"

His ruby eyes glistened in mock humor and mild shock, finding the blonde's reaction to his person rather humorous. He shook his head, concerned about the woman before him. "What are you doing here?"

Her arms crossed under her bust and his eyes followed the movement like a moth to flame. "I could ask you the same thing. Are you Rogue's run?"

He nodded, finally taking a seat in the wooden chair across the table. "Didn't expect to see you dealing."

"I didn't expect to see you buying, either. Ten grand, up front."

He smirked wolfishly, his eyes rolling as he tossed the wadded paper jewel at her. She methodically counted it, seemingly unphased by his presence. "..What got you working this, Bunny?"

She paused, her finger holding down the hundred note she had counted last. Her brown eyes shot to him, her face unchanging. "Hard times, Lug Nut. Natsu killing my rent happened one too many times." And she resumed counting like nothing had happened.

He watched her like a hawk, noticing the huge difference in the way she held herself now to when she was in the guild. It was an air of confidence, of being in control of the situation. Being a boss woman with a vendetta. Her lips were painted ruby red- the color of his eyes, his blood- and her hair left down, falling in wavy tresses. Her brows were raised as she mouthed the numbers, her eyes lidded just a tad.

He felt a lump in his throat. It was attractive as hell.

"It's all here." She said, snapping him out of his reviere. The blonde pulled back and picked the square box under the table up. Carefully, with precision, her nails lifted each individual nugget and dropped them on the scale like a claw machine. It was smart, though, as the scent of weed wouldn't be on her fingers, but her nails. Easy to fool a dragon slayer with just a coat of nail polish. Always a smart one.

Once it was properly weighed, she shoved it in a baggy and passed it back to the Iron Slayer with little gusto. "This isn't your first rodeo."

It wasn't a question.

Gajeel nodded, swallowing down the lump in his throat. She was the epitome of a strong, confident woman who could pull a gun to his head and he'd thank her. "Not at all. A little smoke goes a long way to settle the nerves."

She smirked at him and nodded. "You're alright. Welcome to the Underground."

He raised a pierced brow. "Did I just get initiated into a cult?"

A bark of laughter peeled from her bubblegum lips. The sound alone rocked him in a non-sexual way, making him want to make her laugh more. "No, not at all. If you've been buying, I'm surprised you haven't stepped into the circle already."

At this, the iron slayer leaned on the table. His left arm crossed over his right as he pushed his weight to them. "You tellin me there's more people I know running business?"

And she copied his actions, her bust pronounced through the window frame her arms made. He had to ensure he only saw in his peripheral vision, because looking down was far too tempting. "You have no idea, do you?"

"Ain't got a clue." Mentally, Gajeel patted himself on the back for not slipping.

A perfectly manicured blonde brow rose. "Seriously? ...Well, I can let you in on the bits. You just don't repeat what you hear."

The slayer laughed this time, shaking his head. "Listen, Bunny, it looks like we're catching up from missions. Nobody knows I'm here for Rogue. Ain't a damn soul gonna know, either, I was never here as far as they're concerned. For your smell, though, we ran into each other and started talking."

Her brown eyes sized him up and he could almost physically feel them raking up and down his visible form. It took her a moment of studying him before she nodded to an unknown question. She leaned back and reached into the top drawer on the table between them. With her back fully against her own plush chair, he watched her pull out a baseball bat of a smoke from said drawer before closing it back up. Fat on one end, skinny on the other. She placed the thin end between her lips and struck a match, lighting the blunt up and taking a drag off of it.

Once she had it held in her breath, she passed it on to Gajeel, who accepted her unspoken invitation.

"There's a small handful of us that run this part of the Underground," she exhaled, the smoke falling from her lips after the words were spoken. "The part here in Fiore anyway. You've never been through us so you don't know."

He nodded, taking a hefty huff off the blunt before passing it back to her. "Yeah, I'm following."

She nodded, toying with the skinny end between her index finger and thumb. "Bix runs the E. Cana, the hallucinogens. And Mira primarily runs Alice, despite Cana's claims."

His brows shot up at this, watching as she inhaled the marijuana without hesitation. "So Soul Sister sells ecstasy. Why is that the obvious."

The blonde laughed at this, the smoke getting caught in her throat. A coughing fit left her as she tried to fight down her laughter while not die from improper breathing. Her hand went out, passing the blunt back to the red eyed man. He chuckled and accepted, reaching over to roughly pat her on the back. A good twenty seconds later, Lucy was able to get her bearings on breathing and leaned back in her chair again.

"Soul sister… Damn, I need to call Bix that next time I see him."

Gajeel only smirked wider, feeling the weightlessness settle in slowly. It felt like time was slowing, creeping. The pain that usually settled in his joints floated away, the tension in his back relaxed. "Damn, this is the good shit.. Anyway, so Mira sells acid, Bickslow ecstasy and Cana other hallucinogens. Is it just you four?"

She nodded. "Of who you know anyway. There are a few we'll go through when we're out on missions, but they're just petty _criminals_ , as the kingdom would say."

A one shouldered shrug came from Gajeel at that point, just after he finished taking his hit and passed it back. "Ain't a big thing then."

Lucy laughed openly at that point. "I knew you'd be cool knowing. I'll guess you aren't opposed to helping me out?"

He blinked at that and stared her down, unsure of how to proceed. Should he offer help and get paid in this strong shit that would _definitely_ take the strain off of both him and his wallet, or should he back out now? It wasn't like he was afraid to break the law, it was that he was afraid of Makarov's eye after getting caught. She licked her lips and he almost forgot his train of thought. Almost.

"Depends on what you're offering."

That had to be the best answer. Lucy relaxed fully, her heeled shoes slipping off her feet. She pulled her legs to her chest and shrugged her own response. "Help me in my garden, clipping and watering while I'm out on missions. You can take home a nugget when you need, just let me know when you do… Just don't make it every day, man, I can make a nug stretch three or four days if I need to."

Gajeel nodded. "Watering and clipping? That all?"

Lucy thought about it for a second. "I think. You may have one or two… customers… But mostly I just get behind on keeping stock while I'm out."

"Doesn't help that flame brain always brings ya home hurt," he commented.

Lucy's eyes widened marginally and he mentally scolded himself. Good job, Gajeel, way to sound like a creep.

In his defense, she smelled so damn good. Like a rich chocolate covered strawberry with a hint of red wine. She smelled… Bad. In a good way. Bad as in the Lucy in front of him now, smoking weed in a pair of absurdly short shorts who kicked her heels off seconds ago. Not innocent, like she made herself out to seem. She was gorgeous, too, in either light. If only he could show her- even for a brief moment- just _how_ _badly_ she needed to be this confident all the time.

But her eyes lazily drifted to the clock and she muttered a curse. "We've gotta go, Bix is taking the seat in fifteen."

He almost got whiplash from her random declaration. However, from what it sounded, they all used the house- the office- as a place for trades and shifted out when necessary. They both got another two hits off the blunt before Lucy stamped it out in the ashtray sitting on the desk. She passed the roach to him and he grabbed it with one hand and grabbed her hand with his other one.

"Go on a mission with me, Bunny. Something small and easy but distant. We can talk more then."

She nodded, grabbing her purse and the box under the desk, but paused while doing so. "Won't it seem weird? Us randomly taking a mission together despite never having taken one before?"

He shook his head. "Long as flame brain hasn't gotten to it yet, there's a request for help at a forgery outside Cherry Grove. Nightly protection for three days, someone to help with forging preferred. One silver key and forty thousand as a reward. I know steel the best and you want that key."

She blinked and nodded immediately. "Makes perfect sense.. How did you know?"

He shrugged, heading out the door before she did. "I happened to look earlier before Rogue called. But I need to get this back to the runt."

And he held up a hand as salute as he walked out, hoping she couldn't detect the lie. He'd been keeping an eye on that job, trying to garner the will to ask her on the mission with him. Hell, he half anticipated Titania or Salamander snatching it up, but they hadn't even looking in the direction of the board since their whole team came back from the last mission.

Lucy blinked after him, confused but appreciative. She was relaxed for the first time ever when doing a deal… But it had nothing to do with the weed.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note** : So... I know I shouldn't be starting anything while trying to finish 5DtD, but hEY HERE IT IS! Ugh. So, this is the beginning of a very relaxed story that's going to unfold. This **might** end up being a whole four to six chapters long- nothing huge, but just enough for sustenance and what have you. Take this as you will, I'm very excited for it._


	2. Chapter 2

_**Author's Note:**_ _Okay, nobody at me for disappearing. Life just slapped the shit out of me, super hard and super not great. So it took some time to bounce back, but I'm happy to say that I'll be getting back to posting regularly again. Life's finally calmed down, so I can come back and finish unfinished business. Anyway, have chapter two- finally._

* * *

"Natsu, you don't want to go?" Lucy asked, her eyes a little shocked.

The fire slayer shrugged a nonchalant shoulder. "Guarding just isn't my thing. And Gildarts said he'd be home sometime this weekend, so I'd rather be home for that. Sorry, Luce… I mean, have you asked Erza?"

The blonde shook her head, mildly astonished at how easy it was. She walked into the guild the next morning, got her morning smoothie, wandered over to the request board to 'browse around' because of her 'boredom', and plucked the very mission Gajeel told her about. Natsu wandered her way once the flier was pulled and immediately groaned, which sparked her response. She fully expected the slayer to put up more of a fight and want to tag along, but no. He seemed totally okay with not going with her.

She eyed him warily for a second and he made a weird face back at her. To play it off, though, she acted as though a lightbulb went off. In all reality, she was just waiting to say this out loud.

"Or, I could ask Gajeel… I mean, he would know how to forge steel, no?"

Natsu crossed his arms over his chest and nodded sagely. "He would… But would you be okay taking a job with just him?"

"Just him?" Lucy echoed, this time actually confused. "What about Lily?"

"Lily took a job with Shadowgear because Gaj wasn't over the train ride home from their last mission in time. But really, Luce, are you gonna be fine?"

"Yeah," she smiled warmly. "It's been a long, long time since then.. And I forgave him years ago for that. Why wouldn't I be okay with it?"

Her partner smiled that boyish smile at her and patted her head, ruffling her hair a bit. "Atta girl. It'll be good to take missions with other guildmates, too."

She nodded. "Yeah, I wanted to awhile back with Lis, but she went on one with Mira and Elfman before I could ask… But hey, we all need to start somewhere, no?"

Natsu chuckled and nodded, looking towards the doors as they opened. Upon seeing said gruff iron slayer, he waved his arm wildly. "LUG NUT! LUCE HERE NEEDS YA!"

The blonde quickly smacked the back of his head before rubbing her right ear. "Get away from me before you _yell_ like that!" she shouted. She turned around and smiled when her brown eyes locked with blood red ones. Carefully, she lifted the paper and wiggled it a little. There was a spark of amusement in those eyes that she didn't miss, but he did well to raise an eyebrow as though confused at the situation. She mentally noted that he was definitely the best choice if he was acting it off this well.

"Gaj, would you mind going on this job with me?" Lucy asked as she walked quickly over to meet him in the middle. "There's a silver key reward and I haven't seen a job with a key as a reward in a while… Please? Natsu doesn't even wanna go." After that, she made the show complete; her bottom lip jutted out in a pout and she played the puppy eyes up so much that it was _obvious_ to everyone around her. But he saw past that. He saw the hidden smokiness behind those cocoa eyes. The hidden femme fatale.

He snorted at this and rolled his eyes, but then took the flier from her. No, he didn't need to because he knew _exactly_ what was written on it. But he had to make a showing. Keeping that in mind, he read it twice over, looked up at her and nodded. "Sure thing Bunny. When do we leave?"

Her features brightened, though there was this smoky look hidden in her eyes that excited him a bit. "Yay! Can we leave out tonight or should we wait until tomorrow?"

Well, considering he already packed his stuff since he knew this was going to happen… "We can leave tonight, if you can get y'er stuff together in time."

"With Virgo, packing won't take longer than thirty minutes," she winked.

She, also, already had her stuff packed.

He smirked and nodded. "Have ya cleared it with Demoness?"

"No, but I'm about to. I'll meet you at the station in thirty?"

He nodded and waved as he walked right back out of the guild. Natsu, still standing there, turned to Lucy with his brows furrowed. "Gaj doesn't work like we do. Be ready to have to change the pace you're used to."

She nodded, still watching the doors. "I know."

He leaned his elbow on her shoulder. "It's about time you took a step, anyway. How many times have I caught you looking at him?"

Lucy sighed at that. "I know… Maybe it'll help the situation…"

He shrugged. "Maybe. But I'll be here for you when you get back. Let me know how it goes?"

She smiled and nodded. "I will. Anyway, let me go talk to Mirajane so she can call the client."

* * *

When the door to their private cabin shut, Lucy shifted to a more comfortable position, and Gajeel's eyes trained on her. This was a Lucy he wasn't familiar with, but _oh_ was it interesting. A smoky, cold look to her dark eyes- that smokiness that was previously hiding behind a fake pout. A resting bitch face with red painted lips, one side upturned in a snide yet lethal looking smirk. The woman before him was confident, and to him, it looked like she would be hiding a dagger in her thigh strap or could kick someone's eyeball out with the heel of a stiletto alone. She wasn't wearing heels at the moment, but it was the sentiment that counts.

She looked ethereal like this.

"Look, Bunny, I don't want any trouble with Makarov."

She raised a brow and laughed. "He knows. He doesn't say anything unless it gets bad, or if it happens in the guild. But if you're scared of trouble…" She leaned forward after crossing one leg over another. "You've never met trouble like me."

And he believed it.

She never felt more confident and comfortable with who she was than when she was around Gajeel. He was insanely attractive, powerful, gruff and tough… And seeing the mirthful spark behind his crimson eyes, seeing the danger that surrounded him… It somehow calmed her, yet excited her. It made her feel safe, and most importantly, safe to act how _she_ wants. It drew her in and made her want to match his punk nature with an air that fit _her_. Being around him, acknowledged fully, made her feel _at ease_ about finally exuding the powerful, bitch-mode aura she's been _dying_ to let loose.

She didn't know if it was because he constantly brought an interesting challenge to her, or if it was just _him_ … Even when she was held captive by him, she fought him tooth and nail, as much as she could… She showed him what little of this side of her personality told. She snarled back, gritted her teeth, and survived everything he threw her way with a mere batting of her eyes and some healing down-time. He was the only one to draw out the hidden side, the side she was groomed to be. The ruthless woman intended to take over a multi-billion dollar company. The side of her she tried to deny she even had.

"So what's the catch here? Your offer seems… Too good to be true," the slayer pressed after he calmed himself down.

She leaned back again and shrugged as he finally took a seat. "Before that, Wendy cast Troia on you?"

He shook his head, denying it. "She gave us all medication she whipped up that's imbued with her magic or some shit. Took one of those about ten minutes ago."

The blonde nodded and smiled, though it was a darker smile. "There's no catch," she answered. "I just honestly need help when I'm gone with my team. I figure you'd prefer to help out and get it as payment than continue to pay high rates for it. It's win-win."

He seemed skeptical, but eventually held his hand out. "I wouldn't believe ya if you weren't a Celestial Spirit mage. We got a deal."

She placed her hand in his, giving it a firm shake.

Neither could deny the shivers they got from the brief contact.

Gajeel pulled back and relaxed against the seat. "Did you get any more information on this mission or the client?"

She nodded and waved a hand. "It's a mom and pop shop, supplying weapons for mages like Erza and Kagura. It's owned by an elderly couple in their fifties, and his son is about to take over the business. The son has a job meeting in Crocus about possibly helping to supply the Hungry Wolf Knights with a few new weapons, and he wants to make sure the shop nor his father will be attacked while he's away."

The slayer nodded slowly, thinking over the words. "It sounds like he's worried about someone comin' after them because of the Knights job."

Lucy hummed in agreement. "That's exactly it. They've previously sold to anyone, and he's afraid that any dark mages they've supplied without knowing they were dark mages will come out to attack as a warning."

He snorted and rolled his eyes. "Sounds like someone has too much of an ego."

"They were the two who made Erza's Adamantine Armor. The one that stood up to the Jupiter Canon."

His eyes widened at that. "Damn.."

She laughed at his response. "I've heard her talk about this place several times over. He has good reason to worry."

"No shit."

Conversation slowed after that, just brief thoughts they'd share aloud. Lucy had one earbud in, and Gajeel seemed content with getting rest before getting there. The train ride itself was long, but not too long. It still flew by, faster than either mage anticipated. Two hours later found them pulling into Cherry Grove's train station. As they gathered their belongings, Lucy made a point to leave out right before him… And sway her hips just a bit more than usual. But he didn't need to know it was purposeful. She felt his eyes on her ass and that alone made her smirk.

It took another fifteen minutes of walking to get to the shop- where a young man no older than thirty was seen pacing back and forth just inside.

"Excuse me? We're looking for Linus?" she politely called out as she walked in.

He stopped in his motions and looked to them, a relieved look crossing his features. "You are the Fairy Tail mages?"

The two nodded as the door closed behind them. "We are," Gajeel gruffly replied.

"I'm Linus Fujimoto, a fire mage, and this man over here," he motioned to an older grumpy man sitting on a stool in the corner of the armor shop, "is my father, Lang Fujimoto."

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you," Lucy said and smiled, bowing respectfully to both father and son. She stood back and Gajeel noticed her overly polite demeanor. She was playing nice, getting under the surface. She was acting as a business woman. "One of my usual teammates loves your works and owns many of your creations. I've heard nothing but wonderful things about this shop."

"She does?" Linus asked, a smile on his face. "May I ask who?"

"Titania. Erza Scarlet," she answered simply.

"I wonder if that woman even employs our armors with how many she owns," Lang grumbled loud enough for them to hear.

Lucy laughed at this- and Gajeel's ears twitched at the sound. It wasn't sincere. It was polite and calculated. "I'm afraid her Adamantine Armor broke after being exposed to the Jupiter Cannon. She favors her Black Wing Armor, Heaven's Wheel Armor, Flame Empress Armor and her Sea Empress Armor. I know those, at least, were creations of yours."

The elderly man scoffed, but they could all tell it was merely for his grumpy facade. Still, he fought back. "What made you want to take this job? The high reward?"

"Father!" Linus reprimanded.

Gajeel decided to step in at that point. "I'm the Iron Dragon Slayer. Black Steel Gajeel. Iron, steel and this whole forging shtick is literally a part of me- in my blood." He made a show of turning his arm into a blade as he usually did for his Iron Dragon's Sword attack. The two blacksmith both had wide eyes after this showing. His arm returned to normal. "This kinda thing draws me in, naturally. Lucy here is a Celestial Spirit mage and cares more about that key she ain't even seen yet than she cares about herself."

The woman blushed a bit but nodded. "The money isn't what matters to us."

The older man eyed the blonde, his anger seeming to fade. "...Lucy, was it?" She nodded. "Answer me this, young woman. How many keys do you have?"

"Fifteen, sir," she answered with a confident nod, lifting her keys from the ring at her hip. "Ten gold, five silver. All but Pisces and Libra in gold, but those two are ones a dear friend of mine has. I also have Lyra, Horologium, Pyxis, Canis Minor, and Crux."

His features softened further and he nodded. "And they care for you?"

Loke and Virgo both decided to show themselves at that point. "Of course!" her lion expressed with a flourish. "Our keyholder is the most magnificent, beautiful mage in the land."

"Princess does treat us with the kindest of hearts."

Lucy sighed and shook her head with a smile. "Go home, you two."

Virgo nodded and Loke winked at her before they both disappeared back into their realm.

Lang then slowly started walking to the back of the shop, muttering things about it _being so long since he's seen that_. Gajeel raised a pierced brow at this, causing Linus to sigh heavily.

"My mother passed away six months ago. She was also a blacksmith, though she didn't look like it. She was a celestial spirit mage herself, and he's been unwilling to let the keys go for so long that I was shocked he suggested one of them being part of the reward. He's just… He's been more protective over the business since she passed."

Lucy offered a sad, but real this time, smile. "I'm sorry for your loss. My father took those same footsteps, himself."

He smiled at her but straightened his back a bit. "He understands this is an important part of the business, an important moment for us, and he wants mother's last wishes to become reality more than anything else. She wanted us to make this shop the best in the land… The best we could, though, seemed more realistic back then. I just… I hope I can get the Queen to agree…"

Lucy chuckled at this and shook her head. "If you want a guarantee, just tell Hisui and Kama both that Lucy Heartfilia says she'd stake her claim if she were them," she winked. He seemed shocked at this, but she further explained. "Queen Hisui and I are good friends, and Kama and I have fought against one another before- well, actually, I fought Uosuke, but Kama is the leader of the Hungry Wolf Knights and he knows me well now. Let them both know Titania has trusted your armor and weapons for years and used them in the Grand Magic Games of X791, and that I vouch for you. That should help a lot."

He sighed in relief and nodded weakly to her. "Thank you so much, Miss Lucy. I don't know how I can repay you."

She only shook her head. "Just don't be a stranger- and don't give Erza another reason to come and complain to me," she winked and laughed.

He nodded and readily accepted this. "If I can ever think of something, I'll get it done without hesitation."

They were unaware of the elderly ears still lingering in the back hallway.

* * *

Because of the nature and timing of the job, their nights didn't start until about seven in the afternoon, and didn't end until about noon the next day. This left them tired and with little time to actually sit and talk about much, but it didn't bother either mage. What was more important, in that moment, was the job they were on. The attack didn't come until late the final night. Even then, they weren't more than their numbers- fifteen mages in total. All coming from the same dark guild from the look of it. While none but _maybe two_ of them were even that strong, it was enough to overwhelm an elderly man with what they assumed to be no magic. They were no match to Gajeel and Lucy, though.

In fact, Lang didn't even move from his spot near his latest sword when they showed up. Gajeel easily triumphed over eight of the mages, and with Aries and Leo- in her Cancer Stardress- Lucy finished up the last of them. Thanks to Gajeel's previous ties to the Rune Knights, they were quick to appear and take the mages away. And, even better, there was no property damage.

Lucy and Gajeel finished up their night watch around noon, just as Linus re-entered the shop with a bright smile and a box that he hadn't left with. "Alright! Everything is done!"

"And?" Lang asked, impatient.

"Thanks to Lucy's advice, we're now the primary resplendent of the Hungry Wolf Knights. Lady Cosmos and Queen Hisui both send their greetings," he said as he bowed deeply to her in thanks. "This box is their next shipment they want by November. With how they wanted things, it shouldn't take us past June- September if you make me do these by myself."

The old man seemed shocked at this, but _finally_ a smile lifted his wrinkled features. "It's about time… Let me go get your reward."

Lucy and Gajeel nodded to him, and the blonde woman took it upon herself to congratulate Linus on everything he accomplished. Gajeel seemed annoyed by the casual small talk being had around him, but he didn't have to sit through it long. The elderly man came back out with an armful of things to gift the two mages.

"This is more than we put on the flyer… I can't thank you enough for helping my late wife's dream this much closer to being a reality."

Lucy smiled warmly as he struggled to lift a shoe box up to the counter. He made it up there eventually, and lifted the top off of the box, looking up to Gajeel who had an excited gleam in his ruby eyes. "This is raw Orazumite ore. I saw how you brought your own scraps to eat, and this is specially mined, mage's ore."

Gajeel seemed truly awed at this. His wide eyes looked to the box. "...You sure about this, old man? You're handing over what _has_ to be our reward in ore alone…"

"I'm sure, you petulant child," he chided at the unfavorable nickname Gajeel spouted. Still, his smile didn't fade. "There's not enough ore here to forge anything from it, and with how pricey this stuff is, I don't suspect we'll be able to afford any more until we're a few years into supplying the crown."

Gajeel nodded at this, but then he realized something. "Thanks… But how the hell did ya get this lifted up?"

The old man waved a hand and laughed heartily. "Once upon a time, in my spry youth, I was a mage myself; body magic. Don't let this old look of me deceive you." There was a mischievous sparkle in his dark black eyes. He then pulled out a smaller box and lifted the lid as he showed it to Lucy. "My wife only had two keys left. The third she had was given to one of her dear friends in life, but she left these two to me."

Lucy's brown eyes looked down at the two keys and her heart _stalled_. "Oh my stars… I never thought they'd be together like this," she whispered. The gentle, loving and caring way her fingers trailed down the silver of the keys genuinely made Gajeel feel a little jealous.

Of a fucking key.

"Phoenix and Draco were her two most powerful keys. From the names you gave me, I can tell you don't care if they're battle spirits or not… But this is what I know of them." He slid the box closer to her and she finally caught the glimmer of the metal ring inside the box. "The key ring is one I made especially for her when she was alive. It acts as a magnet to any magical object the mage puts to it. It will always return to the keyholder who imbues their magic in it, without fail. I made it-"

"So that even in battle, she wouldn't be defenseless and keyless." Lucy nodded, a flash of a memory briefly showing slight resentment on her features for less than a second. "I've been there before. I can't thank you enough for this, Lang…"

"You can do me one last favor."

"Anything."

"Summon them here. Allow me one last goodbye to my wife's spirits."

She smiled warmly, tears filling her eyes but not falling. "Of course."

The elderly man then put a bag of jewel onto the counter, but then turned for yet _another_ box- this one obviously a sword's box. He lifted the top of it off to show its glory. It was a beautiful, maroon-brown bladed scimitar with rubies embedded in the black hilt. Lucy didn't have much of an eye for weaponry, but even _she_ could see the love and care crafted into the blade.

"This… This is my finest creation. I call her the Blood Scimitar. It was crafted with rubellinite, a naturally reddish brown mage ore. The handle is mahogany with a black enchanted wash. The powers I've seen it spark is that of sand magic. It can reduce boulders to sand and cause sandstorms with a proper wielder. Tell Titania this is a gift from me, and that I want to see her use it in the Games this year."

Lucy and Gajeel both laughed- though his was more of a snicker- and agreed.

"And if you ever need anything done at all, just call for Fairy Tail. After this, Master Makarov, Erza and us wouldn't hesitate to show up at the call."

The man nodded his agreement, Linus thanking them as he walked around the counter to stand beside his father.

It seems as though Fairy Tail had earned yet another repeat client.

"Would you like me to summon them now?"

"Of course, child. You must be tired," Lang nodded.

Lucy blushed a bit. "Yeah, I'm just not used to this schedule…" Still, she carefully caressed the keys before lifting them both up. She took a deep, relaxing breath, and stretched her magic out to greet the keys, which hummed in acceptance. She steadied her stance and her eyes began glowing gold as her magic caused her exceptionally long hair to float about behind her. "I am linked to the path to the world of Celestial Spirits, now! O spirit, answer my call and pass through the gate! Phoenix! Draco!"

In a show of silver glitter, two figures appeared at the call- one woman and one man. The woman had long, flaming orange hair that fell to her rear, yet stood half a head taller than Lucy. The whites of her eyes were a blood red and the iris, the color, was a molten gold. Her clothes seemed feathered.. But in all honesty, Lucy couldn't tell if the shirt and skirt just had fiery feathers on them or if they were actually on fire. It seemed like feathers, but she wouldn't say for certain yet. The man, on the other hand, had long straight hair like Freed or Rufus, though it was a blinding white like Mira's. His skin was notably dark, and his freckles were _much_ paler than his skin, making him seem made of the cosmos. He looked physically similar to Gajeel in body build, stood just as tall as the woman, and rocked a blue vest and blue slacks.

"Phoenix… Draco… It has been so long," Lang whispered sadly.

The woman turned around to face him, a sad smile on her face. "Lanae was a wonderful master, Lang. I'm proud to have been contracted to her."

The man nodded as well. "I thank you, for keeping up with our keys with such care for so long for her."

Lang nodded, and wiped a quick tear that threatened to fall. "This young woman will take good care of you two. Lanae… I feel like she would trust her, too. I made sure she was worthy before handing you over."

The woman laughed, a melodic sound that brought a smile to the man's face. "You are a true card, Lang."

"And I can follow Erza when she stops by," Lucy added with a warm smile. "You'll see them often, that I promise you."

The two spirits turned to the blonde with wide, shocked eyes. It was the man who finally caved and asked "You would truly promise that?"

The blonde nodded. "Of course. If it makes my spirits happy, I can't bring myself to ignore it. You have a bond, and I don't want that to fade, even if you're contracted to someone outside of the family."

Again, the spirits were shocked, and made quick work of bowing _very deeply_ to her.

She laughed nervously and brushed them off with a wave of her hand. "Don't bow to me. My spirits stand _beside_ me, not behind me, not below me, and _definitely_ not in front of me. If you're willing to start a contract, you'll be my friends- my _family_ \- not my property." It was the same thing she told each spirit before she contracted any of them, and all the same, it still continue to startle even more spirits. "I can show you the others that are contracted to me, if that helps your decision?"

"Our… Decision…?" The woman echoed skeptically.

Lucy wanted to roll her eyes exasperatedly, but held the urge in. "Of course! Like I said, you have a bond with Lang, and I don't want you to do something you don't _want_ to do, or something that would make you unhappy. If you'd be happier here, in their family, I won't force you to come with me." Still seeming shocked at this, the two made no move to hide their surprise. The blonde sighed and pulled her keyring off of her hip and held it out to them, to show them the others who have trusted her this far.

Then, recognition lit up Phoenix's eyes. "Princess Lucy!"

The blonde blushed and sighed. "That damned cat…"

She laughed at her nickname for Loke, who appeared in a flourish. "Oh, come on Princess! You know you love me!"

"Shut it, cat," she growled.

He laughed and pushed his blue glasses up his nose to nod at the other two. "Lucy isn't like the others. We _chose_ to call her Princess, even if she hates it. She won't let you call her Mistress, Master… Nothing like that. She takes care of us and listens when we need it. I swear on my own bond, she's the best option any spirit would love to have."

Her eyes widened and she punched his arm weakly. "Oh shut up, you playboy. Don't forget Yukino."

"I could never forget a pretty woman, how dare you doubt me!" The lion gasped as though offended, a hand placed over his chest in mock hurt.

Lucy laughed at him and looked back to the two spirits hopefully.

The woman eagerly nodded her agreement. "I would be honored, Princess Lucy. I am Phoenix, a battle spirit. I specialize in fire magic and have a secondary form useful for flying as well." She smiled broadly. "If you're as strong as I've heard, we may be able to use healing magic. I've only had one other master, hundreds of years ago, who was strong enough for me to use it, and I would love to heal again."

Lucy clapped in joy and her smile was infectious. Gajeel couldn't help the small smile sprouting on his own lips. "What days are you available?"

"Oh! I would like Thursdays off, if that's alright?"

"Of course!" the blonde readily agreed. She was _so excited_ about having another family member that the overall joy in the room seemed to be felt by everyone. The dragon could only think of how faceted this woman was. She was an enigma- powerful and deadly one day and the light of everyone's eyes the next, and both parts were equally _her_. She was the whole package.

Draco then stepped forward and offered a smaller bow than before. "I am Draco, Princess Lucy. I am of the same lineage of the Iron Dragon there. My magic doesn't come from within me, but instead comes from the celestial realm, making me more spirit than truly dragon. I do, however, have a dragon form, unlike the Iron Dragon. The size and power I hold in this form is up to you. I can be small and travel upon your shoulder if you so wish it, or larger than buildings with access to my more powerful moves, if you can go that far. I only need the night of the New Moon off, every time it is upon us. When the moon isn't visible, I rest."

"So you're a Slayer?" Gajeel asked, stepping up next to Lucy, a hand on her back out of impulse. She didn't fight it, and instead, leaned into it. His touch warmed her skin and caused it to tingle under his hand. It made her inhale shakily, but he _barely_ noticed it. It was unlikely anyone else had.

The spirit nodded. "I was the disciple of the Dragon of the Constellations. When he decided it was time he take his final rest, he entrusted me to guard his place. He was millions of years old by then, so he felt age creeping in and… Decided it was time."

Gajeel nodded sternly. "Yeah. Metallicana was my pops. That was hundreds of years ago, though."

"Hundreds?" Lang asked from behind them.

Lucy giggled when Gajeel stiffened. "It's… A long story. We'll tell ya next time we come by."

She looked to him sharply. "You'll come too?"

He nodded and smirked at her. "Of course. Only right after this."

She smiled at him, beaming, and his heart skipped a beat.

Draco then spoke. "Roughly four hundred. During the wars. I was Draconis' disciple fifty years before the wars broke out." Gajeel seemed stunned that he knew, but slowly nodded his agreement. That was something he didn't even know about until Anna told the lot of them. "If you know the Iron Dragon's magic, you'll be familiar with mine. I, however, am incredibly diluted in human form. Be aware of that."

"Gajeel. Not Iron Dragon."

The spirit nodded. Lucy smiled and agreed with a nod. "Of course. Thank you for joining me and my family."

"The honor is ours," Phoenix bowed. "We were worried we wouldn't find a key holder as kind as Lanae had been. We were happy to have even that one contract in our lives."

Loke nodded, though he seemed a little miffed about the closeness of Lucy and Gajeel. He wouldn't ever say that, but it was obvious. "She makes life with her so good it would be impossible to get any happier, I'm sure of it."

She glared at him, though poutily.

"I suppose I will see you both again sometime, then," Lang asked, relief and happiness making his voice watery.

Phoenix bowed to the man. "We'll be waiting to see you again," she said happily.

"Lets go get some sleep," the slayer said as he put just a little more weight to her back, as though to nudge her. "Then get home. I'm sure Ice Dick and Titania are gettin' antsy without ya there."

Lucy turned her glare to Gajeel, though there was a certain _heat_ behind those eyes. _Heat_ and smoke. His breath caught, but he didn't let it show. "Don't be so rude to my teammates, you ass."

"Lovers spats can be had elsewhere," Lang yelled, taking on his facade of the grumpy old man once more, shooing them out towards the door.

"We'll see you soon, Princess," Loke winked before disappearing in a flash of gold sparkles. Phoenix bowed before leaving in silver sparkles and Draco merely smiled before leaving. Lucy tried not to let too heavy of a blush settle on her face- and failed miserably. She didn't know what was more embarrassing- _their client_ sensing the physical moment between them, _their client_ calling them lovers, or the fact that neither had spoken to clarify that they weren't lovers.

No, Gajeel and Lucy stayed quiet as they left the store.

"He really is a dick," the slayer muttered as they started the walk back to the hotel.

Lucy's glare held no weight.

Did he do that on purpose?


End file.
